In hip-hop, I wasn't very focused on delivering a message. It was just a string of lines that didn't connect. What I wanted to do is write stories...….

I think by the next generation either we'll have a lot of idiots who are just completely immersed in media and corporatized information, or we'll hav….

When I started out, I wrote the songs, recorded the songs, mastered, mixed, did the artwork, made the packaging and did the distribution, all myself.….

We live in an era of consumerism and it's all about desire - based consumerism and it has nothing to do with things we actually need. What do you act….

We develop social systems for the handicapped, but when you're handicapped in your mind, society doesn't handle those situations well. I think we don….

The Internet helps break down so many barriers. People start to see what's happening around the world, they feel more of a oneness and they get infor….

I felt I had an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of great soul musicians of the past, who made a lot of social and political commentary through….

Compassion can change a lot of things, including the world. Young people especially need to know that, because they're the future..

The urgency for me is to hurry up and become visible enough to either influence or shame other artists or corporations into understanding that there ….

Hip-hop educated me about other forms of music, because it sampled from all different styles..

So wake me up when it's all over When I'm wiser and I'm older All this time I was finding myself And I didn't know I was lost.

If I had to pick one social action I could encourage all my friends, family and fans to do, it would be to teach a child. One, to educate them about ….

What do you actually need? Food, clothing and shelter. Everything else is entertainment..

You can feel a lot of things, and that's okay. Channel that into your passion..

America's biggest export is media and I think that's a positive thing..

In school, I studied psychology, linguistics, neuroscience. I understand that there is a real lack of respect for the brain..

People in the Middle East may consider the U.S. an evil hegemony that has tainted their culture, but when I look at the growth of racial and ethnic t….

Industry executives sacrificed art for what sells and mega-stars now saturate the market with the same tired lyrics..

People need to spread love towards strangers. We all bleed the same blood and we are all part of a global community now..

Salsa, classic rock, soul music, jazz... all of that was a part of my education in making hip-hop music..

Music, especially as an adolescent, helps to build identity because that's when people start developing a sense of self. You can kind of tell based o….